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2 Paine College students arrested in attack

Two Paine College students, including a pitcher on the school’s baseball team, were arrested Friday over a Feb. 7 incident in which another student was found unconscious and taken to the hospital.

Taurrek D. Fikes, an 18-year-old freshman on the baseball team, was charged with battery, and Orlandos D. Hill, 19, was charged with simple assault, according to Richmond County jail records.

They were released Fri­day on $5,700 bonds.

According to a sheriff’s report, Paine student Brian Mahoney was found unconscious about 6:50 p.m. Feb. 7. Two witnesses told police that he had been arguing with several male students in the cafeteria.

The group arguing went outside, and Mahoney was later found on the ground, the report states. The 19-year-old was taken by ambulance to Georgia Regents Medical Center.

The deputy tried to get a statement from Mahoney at the hospital, but he did not cooperate other than saying a group of people was involved, the report said.

Athletic Director Tim Dun­­can said an internal investigation by the school’s student affairs office shortly after the incident concluded that Fikes wasn’t involved.

Fikes said he was not in the cafeteria area during the incident, Duncan said.

“We are confident he has been a great student since he’s been here,” Duncan said.

The victim’s father, Wal­lace Mahoney, said four or five people surrounded his son, beat him with a hard plastic cup and punched him in the jaw.

The student suffered a cut on his head.

The victim identified people he thought hit him using photos shown to him by police the morning after the incident, Wallace Mahoney said.

Mahoney said his son was sent home to Atlanta on Mon­day by school officials and told he could enroll in online classes at the college.